Improved safety-bridge for railwat-cars



A. J. ELDER.

Safety Bridge for Railroad Cars.

Patented Dec. 8, 1868.

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ALBERT J. ELDER, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI.

Letters Patent No. 84,808, dated December 8, 1868.

IMPROVED SAFETY-BRIDGE FOR RAILWAY-CARS.

--4.H, The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same.

To all whom it may concern: 7

Be it known that L'Amsnnr J. ELDER, of Kansas City, in the county of Jackson, and in the State of Mis souri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety-Bridges or Platforms forRailroad-Oars andI do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon;

The nature of my invention consists in the construction and general arrangement of a safety-bridge or platform for connecting raih'oad-cars, so that passengers may-pass'from one car to another with perfect safety, thereby avoiding many accidents which are always liable to occur while the cars are in motion.

In order to enable others skilled in the art to which my invention appertains, to make and use the same, I will now proceed to describe its construction and operation, referring to the annexed drawings, which form a part of this specification, and in which Figure l is a plan view, and

Figure 2, a bottom view.

A represents the front endof the platform of a railroad-car, to which a plate, B, is hooked, by means of the hooks O O, as shown in the drawings.

At the centre, near the front end of the plate B, a headed bolt, 1), is placed, which bolt, in passing downwards, goes through a slot in a similar plate, B, and there secured by some suitable means, thus holding the two plates, B B, together, but allowing them toturn sideways, and also to contract or separate, according' to the motion of the cars.

' The plate B is attached to the platform A of a succeediug car," by means of hooks E E, which are pivoted to the .under side of said plate, and inserted into oblong eyes or bent metal bars F F, on the end of the platform A.

I also place bent bars I I on the under side of the plate B, as shown in fig. 2, which protect the hooks E E, and allow them to turn sufficiently towardseach side, so as to conform to the motion of the cars at all times. It will thus be seen that whichever way the cars may turn," the safety-bridge will accommodate itself to the movement, and also the necessary contraction and expansion are provided for.

When coupling 01' uncoupling the cars, the plates B B are easily removed, by merely unhooking the same,

- the opposite ends of two railroad-cars, substantially as and for the purposes herein set forth.

2. The pivoted hooks E E, held in place by the stirrups I I, and secured to the platform A by the eyes 1 F, in combination with the slotted plate B and plate B, to operate substantially as herein set forth.

3. The combination of the plates B B with the headed bolt D passing through the slotted plate 3', hooks E and C, stirrups I, and eyes F, all substantially as shown and described.

a In testimony that I claim the foregoing, I have hereunto set my hand, this 21st day of-September, 1868.

A. J. ELDER. Witnesses:

Emu. F. BROWN, I LEOPOLD EVERT 

